Creating a Simple Marketing Plan

Many of you broke into a sweat after reading the title, didn't you? Many small business owners don't have a marketing plan because they believe it's too hard, too time consuming, or they just don't know where to start.

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  Posted by Justin Amendola, Manhattan, New York | Feb 07, 2012

  Jeannine:

  Great post. Building a marketing plan doesn't have to be as daunting as many think. I'd also add that some back-of-the-napkin planning (answering the three questions you ask above) and an initial marketing test can be good ways to break the ice.

  Businesses that are new to marketing might consider an approach similar to investing in the stock market: dip your toe in the water with a small portion of your budget, measure it, refine it and then look to add more funds.

  A measured approach will enable a business to get its bearings and avoid the complexity of bringing several marketing programs online at the same time.

  Thanks again for the post, Justin
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  Posted by Jeannine Clontz, Arnold, Missouri | Feb 07, 2012

  Justin,

  Thank you for your kind words. I totally agree with your assessment. It's always best to take it in small chunks, especially when talking about marketing.

  I have found that people who try and do too much too fast usually let the tracking slide - which is really one of the most important parts of your plan.

  Making sure you can track results so you know what's working and what isn't is almost as important as implementing the plan. I know I spent thousands of marketing dollars early on in my business that was just a waste of time because I never got a return on the investment.

  In my own uneducated mind I figured since I was doing SOMETHING, it was better than nothing. But if you're marketing in a way that yields no results, it's like doing nothing anyway! ;)

  Wishing you all the best of continued success in 2012.
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  Posted by Matt Brennan, Aurora, Illinois | Feb 08, 2012

  Great post! I agree with Justin. This isn't supposed to be daunting. Identify who you want to reach, and how you want to reach them. It's really that simple. You should set goals, and produce quality content.
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  Posted by Jeannine Clontz, Arnold, Missouri | Feb 08, 2012

  Matt, thank you for your kind words. Great that so many great minds think alike! ;)

  Keep doing what you're doing and you'll have a stellar 2012!
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  Posted by Tom Parker, Rock Hill, South Carolina | Feb 10, 2012

  You make some very good points here Jeannine as far as getting started with a basic marketing plan. However, I was a bit surprised that the first bullet point in your suggestions was print media, and especially Yellow Pages.

  Print YP has pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur. While it may have some value for certain businesses and targeting a very small market, for the majority of businesses, this should be way, way down on the list of marketing channels.

  I may be a little biased, being a website designer and internet marketer, but I think for the majority of businesses, you better have a good website and strong internet presence to compete in just about any business these days.
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  Posted by Silvia Reed, Bellingham, Washington | Feb 11, 2012

  Excellent article Jeannine. A Marketing Plan requires not only initial preparation but constant changes and improvements, as your clients' needs change and so as the venues to promote your products/services.
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  Posted by Jeannine Clontz, Arnold, Missouri | Feb 11, 2012

  Hi, Tom -

  Thanks so much for your input. Yes, I still use the YP as part of a marketing plan. I usually don't suggest any big dollar investment, unless warranted, just use of your free listing in key areas that make sense, and the basic 'online' listing.

  I do believe that the print version is pretty much obsolete (especially because they amaze me at how smal they can make the print - LOL), but for some businesses, mostly those with a business to consumer, in lieu of a business to business target, will still need to include the YP as a part of their normal marketing plan options.

  I even believe that you should be using some 'offline' marketing options, even if due to the larger expense, you limit it to 2-3 times per year, simply because many people are now desensitized by Email and traditional Internet marketing options.

  I have found that people will hold onto a brochure or postcard I might send, while almost everyone who I Email or reach through Internet marketing, can hit the delete button pretty quickly.

  I still get a pretty good return on investment (actually this aspect has improved over the past 3 years, I believe, because most others have transitioned away from this marketing medium and have, like you said, gone almost totally with Internet marketing and utilizing their websites as their only form of marketing strategy.) for several of my offline marketing pieces, and believe it's still a valuable and integral part of my overall marketing plan, and those of my clients for whom I serve as their marketing and social media support partner.

  I always suggest that you leave no stone unturned when it comes to determining where you can find your ideal client, and if the YP is able to prove to be a good resource for reaching prosepcts, and not break my budget, why wouldn't I consider it for at least a year, before deciding to remove it from my plan (I usually suggest you give any marketing medium a try for at least 6-months - or 6-8 touches, before deciding to exclude if from a marketing plan)?

  Thanks again for your comments - marketing your business in whatever form you decide to use, is best determined by what works best for you. If your business thrives and grows by utilizing only Internet and website marketing, that's where your marketing plan will lead you.

  In my position as consultant in the areas of marketing and social media, I believe it's my duty to look at all options available to a client and let the results speak for themselves.

  Wishing you all the best of continued success! :)
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  Posted by Jeannine Clontz, Arnold, Missouri | Feb 11, 2012

  Thanks, Silvia, great input.

  I believe the most important aspect of any marketing plan is tracking results, and updating your plan based on those results about every 6 months to a year, although I do check in on the overall plan results about once a quarter.

  If something is really tanking, or a particular piece is attracting any not-so-ideal clients, it's a good time to look at the message you're sending (in the content) to reveal where you may need to make adjustments to better reach your target prospect.

  I don't suggest you remove anything from your plan too quickly though. Most research indicates you need to touch prospective clients at least 10-12 times before they will begin to recognize your business offerings, or if the need arises, connect with you to get more information, and possible do business together.

  So if you have sent them something once a month and after 3 months, seeing no considerable ROI, you could be discontinuing that option without having given it enough time to reach your prospects.

  Be sure you give each marketing option enough time to build that, know-like-trust factor, with prospective clients before you permanently remove it from your plan.

  Have a great 2012 and thanks again for sharing your thoughts and ideas! ;)
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  Posted by Tom Parker, Rock Hill, South Carolina | Feb 11, 2012

  Hi Jeannine,

  I didn't mean to imply that print media should be ignored, nor that print YP has no value at all, but that an internet presence, preferably with a website at it's core should be high on the list, while print media would come lower, especially print YP. Yes, you definitely want to utilize your free listing and maybe minimal additional, but other than that your ad dollars could be spent better elsewhere.

  According to Yellow Pages Publishers Association, Yellow Page usage has plunged 55% since 1999 and continues to drop by 4% every year. On the other hand, According to Google:

  • 73% of online activity is related to local content

  • 74% of internet users perform local searches

  • and of this percentage 82% of local searchers follow up offline via an in-store visit, phone call or purchase (TMP / comScore).

  Offline marketing is still important for most businesses, and certainly shouldn't be ignored. I hand out business cards, use flyers, and I have a brochure for my business. Each of these directing to my website.

  A website for a business these days is pretty close to being as important as having a phone number. Any local business, as a bare minimum, should claim their Google Places page and have it thoroughly complete and optimized.

  I don't think any business marketing plan will be complete without internet marketing as a top priority item.
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  Posted by Jeannine Clontz, Arnold, Missouri | Feb 12, 2012

  No problem, Tom - We don't disagree at all. I still believe it has everything to do with whether or not your business has a physical product to sell to a cosumer, instead of a product or service sold business to business.

  A product or service sold business to business is less likely to need as much focus on offline promotion and YP-type, or newspaper ads, although I do consider networking locally as a part of the offline marketing aspects of marketing plans.

  While I agree that a local pizza joint will do a much larger business by utillizing a website and online marketing (eZines, blast emails, membership sites, etc.), they will still benefit by investing some of their marketing dollars in local and offline marketing options.

  It's all good! :)